Air humidifier



Aug. l, MBE. w. KNOWLTON ET Ax. `,819,423

AIR HUMIDIFIER Filed April 21, 1930 INVENTORS,

7H??? ATTORNEY,

Patented Aug. t l1.931

WILLIAM KirowLrop AND WILLIAM s.

VAUGHAN, or' GLEN ELLYN,` :ILLINOIS AIR HUMIDIFIER Application led April 21,

- r1`his invention relates to certain novel improvements inair humidiers.

The principal object of our inventionis 4to provide an air humidifier which will be i@ highly ecient in use and economical in manufacture.

Another object of our invention is to provide a device of this character in which air is taken from the cold air intake of a heating il@ apparatus, suitably compressed and used to force a stream of atomized water into the warm air exits of a heating apparatus.

Another object of our invention is to provide a mechanism of the above named char- 115 acter in which the volume of the compressed air used to atomize the water is automatically adapted to the quantity of atomized water injected into the Warm air exits in a heating apparatus.

Stillanother object of Iour invention is to provide a humidifier which will permity of convenient humidity control and which will augment the natural draft of a heating' apparatus. t

Another object is to provide a humidifier which may be adapted' to various types of heating apparatus, such as hot air, steam, hot water, and other types of heating apparatus.

@ther objects will appear hereinafter.

rlhe invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafterV described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, showing the preferred form of construction and in which:

Fig. '1 is an elevational sectional view of a hot air heating apparatus with our invention adapted `thereto; and

"Figa 2 is a view taken substantially on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1 of the water storage tank and showing the manner of mounting the atomizers therein.

Referring to the drawings wherein we have illustrated the preferred embodiment of our invention, 1 indicates a hot air furnace of any approved construction. 2 generically indicates a plurality of hot air exits therefrom and 3 indicates the cold air intake thereto. v

Mounted in the cold air intake 3 of the 1930. serial No. 446,048.'

furnace is an intake for leading into an air compressor 5 operated by an electric motor 6. Controlling the speed of the motor 6 and the air compressor 5 is a movable switch arm 7 which is movable over a row of contacts 8 55 in circuit with the motor 6 by suitable conductors 9.

The movable switchar'm 7 is attached at one end thereof to a bevel gear 10 and suitably insulated therefrom as shown at 11. mi Mounted so as t0 be rotated by the gear 10 attached to the movable switch arm 7 is a bevel gear 12. Attached to the gear 12 is a shaft13 which leads into and controls a valve 14 in a water pipe 15. The pipe 15 leads to @5 a water supply tank 16. Tank 16 has an air vent hole 33 in its upper wall. When the movable switch arm 7 is moved into cont-act position withthe first of the contacts 8 the gear 10 attachodto the movable switch arm 7 will 70 rotate the gear 12 and the attached shaft 13 thus partly openingthe valve 14 in the water pipe and allowing a controlled flow of water into the water supply tank 16.

Leading from the air compressor 5 is a 75 pipe 17. Mounted on the pipe 17 is a T 18 to which are connected two atomizer air pipes 19 and 20.- Mounted in the upper wall of the water storage tank 16 are thebody portions of two atomizers 29 and 30. These s@ atomizer bodies may be of the type commonly used in nasal atomizers, although the body portion of any approved type of atomizer that provides an atomized spray sufficiently fine substantially to be buoyed up by a moving current of air may be used. Leading downwardly from the atomizer body portions 29 and 30 into the tank 16 are atomizer supply pipes 21 and 22. Likewise leading from the atomizer body portions 29 and 30 are the 90 yvent pipes 31 and 32 of the atomizer structures and these vent pipes 3l and 32 have nozzles 24 and 25 formed in their outer ends. The nozzles 24 and 25 are directed into the hot air chamber of the furnace preferably adjacent the exits thereof;

An over-How opening 23 is provided in the tank 16.

In the operation of our invention, when the movable switch arm 7 is contacted with ma ing the combination switch and valve controlling arm 7. Ordinarily water will flow vist from the tank 16 to the atomizer 19 through supply pipe 22 under the pressure of compressed air from pipe 17. But when the level of the water in tank 16 reaches the lower end of supply pipe 21 it is apparent that water will How through pipe 21 into atomizer 20. The atomized water directed through the nozzles 24 and 25 under the pressure of compressed air will iiow into thev path of the heated air escaping through the warm air exits 2 in the jacket of the furnace. The globules of atomized water directed from nozzles 24 and 25 will be very minute in' size and will be buoyed up by the moving current of'heated air so as to humidify the heated air without the necessity of previous hot plate or other form of evaporation as has been heretofore necessary in the art.

The fact that air for the compressor is taken in from the cold air intake 3 in the jacket of the heating apparatus while the atomized spray is directed into the path of the hot air leaving the heating apparatus greatly increases the draft of the heating apparatus and improves the function thereof.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying 0urinvention into eiect, this is capable of variation and modiiication, without departing from the spirit of the invention. We, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise vdetails of construction set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a heating apparatus 'and a jacket surrounding said heating apparatus, said jacket having a cold air intake and a plurality of warm air exits therein, means for withdrawing air from said cold a1r intake, means for compressing said air, means adapted with said compressed air to atomize water, and means for injecting said compressed air and atomized water into the p ath o f heated air flowing out of said Warm air exlsts in said jacket.

2. In combination with a heating apparatus and a jacket surrounding said heating apparatus, said jacket having a cold a1r in take and a plurality of warm air exits there- 11n, means for withdrawing air-'from said cold air intake in said jacket, means for compressing said air from said cold air intake, water water storage means, sald atomizing means being connected to said air .compressing means, said water storage means having an inlet opening therein, supply pipes in said atomizing means and terminating at different levels in said water storage means and being connected with said air compressing means, atomizer vent pipe means connected with said atomizing means, said vent pipes having nozzle means formed therein at one end thereof, said nozzle means being disposed interiorly of said jacket and -adapted to spray atomized water into the pat-h of warm air escaping from said heating apparatus, and combination switch and valve means for simultaneously controlling the fiow of compressed air and water 1nto said atomizing means.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures. v

- l WILLIAM S. VAUGHAN.

WILLIAM KNOWLTGN. 

